How much does a 3 bed house cost in Central America? It may seem like a simple question, but in countries like Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, where official property statistics are not available, it’s hard to find reliable market comps. This leaves buyers entering the market relying only on thin slices of information for their investment decisions – a glossy brochure, an anecdote, a Google search or information given to them by vendors.

It’s against this vacuum of reliable information that Reveal Real Estate and Global Property Guide have come together to prepare the 2012 Central America House Price Snapshot.

The study provides an apples to apples comparison of the sales price of a typical three bed home across 12 different property hotspots in Central America. The results are generated by a special Benchmarking Group of recognized real estate experts with in-depth knowledge of their local market.

“A key component of a healthy real estate market is price transparency,” according to Claudia Gonella, co-founder of Reveal Real Estate. “We hope the snapshot will provide an additional layer of information to help real estate buyers make more informed buying decisions.”

The study shines a light on 12 of the most popular purchasing destinations for international investors. Often described as “hotspots,” these are locations with inherent natural appeal and local attractions that draw in tourists as well as real estate investors.

Places like Ambergris Caye in Belize, Tamarindo in Costa Rica, Boquete in Panama and San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua.

those must be some pretty fancy houses. I know of houses in San Ignacio for way cheaper. THere is a really nice 3 bedroom for 125K (US) and some less nice, but still fine to live in ones for 75K and less. And this is from Ceiba realty wesbite, so you know that if you are looking in person there are better prices than that.